The Asian Age  Deccan Chronicle

In order to discourage farmers from burning stubble, the Punjab government will bar offenders from taking panchayat land on lease in the future. Disclosing this here on Sunday, agriculture secretary Kahan Singh Pannu revealed that nearly 1.37 lakh acres of panchayati land were being used for agriculture, where the practice of open stubble burning could be averted effectively, through coherent compliance of government orders issued under Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Millennium Post

West Bengal Agro Industries Corporation (WBAIC) is emphasising upon augmenting maize production in Bankura district to cut down imports from other states. Three villages under Chhatna block are being projected as model villages for cultivation of maize. “In 2011, when we had assumed office for the first time under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee we used to produce maize which catered to a meagre 3 percent of our domestic demand. Now, we are producing almost 25 percent of our demand. We are working upon increasing the ambit of maize production in Bankura and Purulia districts, said Subhasis Batabyal, Vice-Chairman of WBAIC.

The Week

The farmers who are cultivating panchayat land and indulging in stubble burning should be barred from taking panchayat land on lease in future, Punjab’s Agriculture Department has suggested. In this regard, the agriculture department has written to the state’s Rural Development and Panchayats Department to curb the illegal practice which is harmful for the environment. There are nearly 1.37 lakh acres of panchayat land under agriculture, where the practice of stubble burning could be stopped effectively through such measures, Agriculture Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu said.

ANI News  Newsd 

In a bid to reduce pollution, Punjab Agriculture Department has urged Rural Development and Panchayats Department to bar farmers who are cultivating panchayat land and indulging in stubble from taking the land on lease in the future. According to an official statement, the Agriculture Department made the suggestion in a bid to ensure a clean, green and pollution-free environment in the state this winter.

The Times if India 

In the past few years, citizens and environmentalists have flagged the enormous spike in air pollution in the region once stubble burning begins after the harvest in Punjab and Haryana. The Energy Resource Institute (TERI) researchers have now shown how crop residue can be used to chill milk in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana. Punjab and Haryana reports the highest land productivity for rice at four tonnes per hectare. A joint report of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) shows Punjab and Haryana are India’s top rice and wheat producers, contributing almost 15% of India’s entire rice production.

Hill Post

The focus on the development and adoption of emerging agricultural technology will go a long way in the success of agricultural activities in the country and contribute towards increasing farmers income. With these recommendations, the 2nd International Conference on ‘Recent Advances in Agricultural, Environmental and Applied Sciences for Global Development’ concluded on Sunday at Nauni. The conference was organized by the Agro-Environmental Development Society (AEDS) in association with Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, Cairo University’s Plant Pathology Research Institute and Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

The Financial Express  Devidiscourse

The farmers who are cultivating panchayat land and indulging in stubble burning should be barred from taking panchayat land on lease in future, Punjab’s Agriculture Department has suggested. In this regard, the agriculture department has written to the state’s Rural Development and Panchayats Department to curb the illegal practice which is harmful for the environment.

Orissa Diary

The state got award for three initiatives in agriculture sector for the prestigious SKOCH Governance Award 2019. Out of which ‘Special Programme on Agriculture Production Cluster in Tribal Regions of Odisha’ bagged the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award 2019. The other two ‘Mukhymantri Abhinav Krushi Jantrapati Samman’ and ‘Odisha Millets Mission’ received SKOCH Order of Merit awards.

DNA India

The bad loans of farmers in the state rose by 48 per cent to Rs 6,326 crore during the first quarter of the current financial year, said a recent banking report. This is, in contrast, to merely 6.79 per cent rise in total bank loans to farmers in the state in the same period. Importantly, bad loan grew faster at 53 per cent in term loan category, which means that farmers are buying assets for agriculture, but are unable to pay loans.

ANI News

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday inaugurated Rural Investors and Start-up Conclave (RISC) 2019 here. During his address, the minister stated that villages and agriculture were crucial for the economic advancement of India. “India is a land of villages where agriculture is the primary source of livelihood. If agriculture advances, the village and the nation also advance,” he stated. Emphasising on the need for start-ups in rural areas, the minister stated that it was crucial for start-ups to emerge in order to cater to the future employment needs of the country.

The Times of India 

: So far, the government had doled out subsidies for more than 38,000 stubble management machines across Punjab. But the farmers are yet to give up the practice: more than 215 cases of crop residue fires have been reported in the last week. The data being collected by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) using satellite imagery and remote sensing devices has revealed that the farmers who had sown early varieties of paddy, have already harvested the crop and have started setting the leftovers on fire to clear the fields for the next crop.

PTC News

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that dairy products are kept out of the purview of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. Amid apprehensions of inclusion of such products in the negotiation ambit, the Chief Minister has said any such move would have serious adverse effect on the economic interests of farmers.

Down To Earth

Nasa satellite images recorded scores of farm fires across Punjab and Haryana in the last seven days, indicating that the stubble burning season has started in the two states. Several red dots, indicating stubble burning activity, were seen in the images, especially over the districts of Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab, and Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala in Haryana. Some places in neighbouring western Uttar Pradesh also showed the dots. While the fires intensified till September 25, they seemed to have decreased in the last 48 hours. In Punjab, the state pollution control department has recorded 100 such incidents in the last two days, mostly from Amritsar and Tarn Taran district.

The Free Press Journal

Artificial Intelligence and big data are going to be a “game changer” in the agriculture sector, and the government is aiming to collate about 80 per cent of such data by 2020, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal said on Thursday. The government realised to leverage the data of farmers while rolling out the PM-KISAN scheme under which Rs 6,000 is paid annually directly to the farmers as income support, he said.

The Economic Times

Inching closer to last year’s acreage, crop planting in this Kharif season looks healthy. Excessive rains and floods in 12 states are unlikely to impact the overall food grains output. Minister of State for agriculture Parshottam Rupala said that excessive rains would not impact the production. This is being reflected in the first advance estimate released by agriculture ministry early this week, which forecasts food grains production of 140.57 million tonnes – 0.8 percent down from the total output estimated in 2018-19 season.

Business Today

Decoding Slowdown: Studies show that Indian farmers have been short-changed by Rs 45 lakh crore of income during 2000-2016 due to complex market regulations and restrictive trade policies and that credit flows to agriculture is being used for non-agricultural purposes.

The Times of India

Dr SS Ray, director of the National Crop Forecasting Centre in New Delhi, focused on the role of big data in agriculture and its implications for central and state government schemes in India, including applications in crop disease, pests, and insurance.

The Times of India

With paddy harvesting about to start, farmers are not satisfied with the costly machinery they are being asked to use for managing crop residue. Several farmers, who had come here on Thursday to the Kisan Mela organized by the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) Ludhiana, complained to vice-chancellor (VC) Baldev Singh Dhillon about the machines, especially the Happy Seeder, not being as efficient as desired.

The Times of India

Former director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) Kota Harinarayana on Thursday predicted that the advent of artificial intelligence, machine learning and drones would transform the agriculture and horticulture sectors in the foreseeable future. “Extensive use of technology in these sectors will have a positive impact on our economy,” said Harinarayana.

The Sangai Express

A 3 day awareness programme on “Agricultural Marketing”,  jointly organised by Manipur Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (MSFAC) and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Imphal. Stating that the vision of Indian Government to double farmers income by 2022 will be hard to achieve without proper knowledge of agriculture marketing, he added that the programme is being organised to impart the required knowledge to the farmers to improve their living standard.

The Times Of India  Devdiscourse

Artificial Intelligence and big data are going to be a “game changer” in the agriculture sector, and the government is aiming to collate about 80 per cent of such data by 2020, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal said on Thursday. The government realised to leverage the data of farmers while rolling out the PM-KISAN scheme under which Rs 6,000 is paid annually directly to the farmers as income support, he said. The data will help in framing the right policy and converge some projects in order to achieve the targeted development of farmers and the overall sector

The Financial Express

As per the Economic Survey 2019, the share of private investment in gross capital formation in agriculture and allied sectors has declined from 88% in 2013-14 to 82.67% in 2016-17. Of the total private investment, 79.1% is by farmers, and private corporate investment accounts for only 2.3% of total investments. The high-powered committee on transforming agriculture has also highlighted the importance of private investment in agriculture. Hence, efforts must be made for consolidation and streaming investment measures to tap in private players.

The Indian Express

In a letter to the Union minister on Thursday, Reddy said that the consumption of various fertilisers in the State during the Kharif and Rabi seasons was about 30 lakh tonnes. “It is likely to go up further with the completion of ongoing projects,” he said. Reddy said the about 85 per cent of the fertiliser stocks were received by the State through 14 of the Railways’ rake points. The remaining 15 per cent is received through roads. The agriculture minister said some locations such as Bhupalpally, Mulugu,  Jangaon, Asifabad, Medak, Sangareddy, Siddipet and Nirmal were not catered to by the current rake points.

The Economic Times

National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned around 3,520 projects worth Rs 7,019.47 crore for the state till March 31 2019 . The projects covers three sectors – agriculture and related sector, Social sectors and Rural connectivity. Cumulatively, the loan disbursed to Government of Assam by NABARD stood at Rs 4877.67 crore up to March 31, 2019. Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) projects have covered a wide range of sectors all over the state comprising of rural connectivity, minor irrigation, flood control, soil conservation, dairy development, animal husbandry infrastructure, fisheries.

The Times of India

Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry has written to chief minister Pramod Sawant urging the government to immediately compensate farmers whose crops were damaged this season due to the flash floods and heavy rainfall that lashed the state. GCCI director general Ramakant Kamat in the letter said that the paddy crop was badly damaged, resulting in serious financial losses to growers. “Paddy, which is the main cereal crop of Goa, suffered at sowing time due to the delayed monsoon and is now suffering due to heavy downpour leading to flooding and erosion,” said Kamat.

The Financial Express

The only way the farming sector can be brought back from the ‘take home’ to ‘reap the value’ model is through collectivization of farmers’ interests through FPOs, and what better it can be if a statutory authority provides for their enhanced presence, connecting them to financial sources and institutions, and the ability to move them up the value chain.

Krishii Jagran

griculture is the primary source of livelihood for at least 58 percent of India’s population and therefore the government is planning to make India an agriculture-based economy. India’s primary wealth is agriculture and the Government is launching different schemes and Yojana’s to help the farmers with the best way. But the harsh reality is that only a few farmers are properly benefitting from it while others are not aware of what’s happening in the world. There is a huge gap between those schemes and grassroots level people.

The Economic Times   United News of India  PTC News

Expressing concern over the environmental hazards caused by stubble burning, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking cost compensation of Rs. 100 per quintal of paddy to motivate farmers against burning of paddy residue in the open fields. A sum of Rs. 100 per quintal of paddy should be given to farmers so that they can arrange to manage the stubble without resorting to its open burning by using the compensation money to meet the paddy straw management cost, the Chief Minister stressed in his letter to the Prime Minister.

The Times of India   The Week

The Uttar Pradesh government has prepared an export policy to increase farmers’ income, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said here on Wednesday. Such a policy has been introduced for the first time in the state, Shahi told reporters. “An export policy for promotion of farmers’ products has been prepared by the state government,” he said. The government is encouraging farmers to go for “quality production” by adopting new technology, organic farming and using latest agricultural equipment through farmers producer organisations, Shahi said.

The Indian Express

Whatever name they go by, natural farming approaches are now finding acceptance even from governments. Sikkim claims to have become India’s first fully organic state. Andhra Pradesh has established Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a not-for-profit company that aims at extending the reach of ZBNF to all six million farmers of the state by 2023-24. The ultimate endorsement for ZBNF has, of course, come from the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 2019-20 budget speech and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own address at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on September 9.

The Times of India

Even as hundreds of farmers in the state have been left helpless in recurring fall armyworm attacks on their maize over the past two years, the recent spell of rain brought them a much-needed relief, destroying all larvae of the pests in Trichy and the neighbouring districts. Confirming the decimation, the agriculture officials said the larvae that lived in whorls were killed after rainwater seeped into them.

The Indian Express

Agriculture is a unique business that not only has high production as well as price risk, but also one where everything is bought retail and sold wholesale. This reality, moreover, extends even to Goods and Services Tax (GST): Farmers are the only businessmen today who cannot claim input tax credit (ITC) on the sales they make.

Nyooz

Dr Rajbir Singh, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Ludhiana, welcomed the chief guest, Rishi Pal Singh, ADC Development, Ludhiana, others guests and participants of the conference. In his inaugural address, Rishi Pal Singh, ADC Development, Ludhiana, asked the panchayat pradhan, sarpanchs and panchs to shun the paddy straw burning. Dr JS Mahal, Director of Extension Education, PAU, Ludhiana, make aware panchayat members about various technologies developed for crop residue management.

The Times of India

Taking a step forward in the technological evolution of agriculture, now apps are providing real time solutions for crop disease. All a farmer needs to do is click a photo of his plant and upload on an app, where a crop’s health is diagnosed and advice on treatment is provided real time. About 4,91,811 users of Uzhavan App, launched by Tamil Nadu agricultural ministry in February to educate farmers about soil quality, seeds and fertilizers, will benefit from this tech. “We are conducting a pilot run with an Artificial Intelligence-based tool on the existing Uzhavan app that will enable better crop surveillance,” says Santosh K Misra, commissioner of Tamil Nadu e-Governance (TNeGA).

The Hans India

The Conclave will serve as a platform to showcase a wide array of budding entrepreneurs, rural innovators and aspiring startups to demonstrate their design ideas, innovations, technologies, pitch, and get an opportunity to receive learning and mentoring support and get connected with potential funding and network support. Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will be attending as the chief and inaugurate the two-day conclave.

Krishii Jagran

According to the first advance estimate released by the agriculture ministry, production of rice is estimated at 100.35 million tonnes and pulses output is estimated at 8.23 million tonnes. In the previous Kharif season, the pulses production was estimated at 8.59 million tonnes. A senior agriculture department official said that “The assessment of production of various crops is based on the feedback that is received from States & validated with information available from other sources. The production figures will differ as there is lot of time left for harvest”.

The Indian Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an impassioned appeal for the reduction in the use of chemicals in agriculture. Though, in time, the PM will realise it is easier to announce new approaches than to get the agriculture system to embrace the appeal. This does not have to be. Public policy and allocation of funds can play a critical role and change the trajectory. The biggest threat to India is climate change. Many civilisations disappeared and empires have collapsed due to shifting rainfall patterns or prolonged drought.

The Indian Express

As many as nine states have reported a decline in banks’ credit outstanding to agriculture and allied activities during the financial year ended March 2019, despite a rise in the overall credit offtake to the sector across the country. Though the overall agri credit outstanding rose from Rs 13.69 lakh crore in March 2018 to Rs 15.29 lakh crore in March 2019, it was largely boosted by a huge rise in credit flow of over Rs 97,278 crore to Maharashtra which topped the list, according to figures provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The Indian Express

THE PUNJAB government has asked agriculture offices across all 22 districts to register 150 farmers each for ‘zero budget natural farming’ to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, after getting a letter from the Centre on the same. Farmers however say that to implement ‘zero budget farming’, they need a lot of financial support from the government because yield would go down drastically in the initial years.

Devdiscourse   The Daily Pioneer

To effectively curb the menace of stubble burning during post paddy harvesting season in the State, Punjab Agriculture Department on Tuesday ordered to impound the combine harvester machines functioning without Super Straw Management System (SMS). The state Agriculture secretary Kahan Singh Pannu has urged the combine harvester operators to fit the Super SMS on their machines. Pannu also issued directions to all Deputy Commissioners to depute adequate staff of Transport, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and other concerned departments for ensuring the strictly implementation of these instructions.

The Times of India  Zee Business  All India Radio

Farmers across the country can now hire tractor and other farm machineries through a multi-lingual mobile app called ‘CHC-Farm Machinery’ which was launched by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday. Tomar also launched another mobile app ‘Krishi Kisan’ to help farmers take benefit of field demonstration of new farm technologies, seed hubs and weather advisories.

The Economic Times

Stubble burning may hinder farm grants in paddy-producing states like Punjab and Haryana this year as the governments have gone on a major drive to check air pollution. In poll-bound Haryana, students of NCC and NSS have lined up a campaign against stubble burning in the upcoming paddy harvesting season and about a dozen departments in Punjab have been pressed to desist setting crop residues on fire.

The New Indian Express

he state government aims to rejuvenate the agricultural sector by announcing five exclusive agro parks, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Speaking after inaugurating the first Banana and Honer Park of the state at Kannara on Monday, Pinarayi pointed out that the agro parks were established to promote value-added agricultural products.

The Indian Express

Stubble burning in Punjab can be controlled completely if farmers are compensated for management of paddy straws, the state’s agriculture secretary K S Pannu told The Indian Express Monday. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh would also seek compensation for farmers for stubble management in a letter he was writing to the Centre Monday, he said. “This can control (stubble burning) 100%. The government of India can give a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal while procuring paddy… to those farmers who do not burn (the straw),” he said.

The Financial Express

There is no doubt that for India, where the largest chunk of labour is still in agriculture, raising agricultural productivity is the surest ticket out of poverty for millions. This is especially true given how difficult it has been to sustain the creation of non-farm jobs for people to move to. While rising productivity in India has lifted many out of poverty, significant poverty still remains.

B – Live  Krishii Jagran

Bank of Baroda has launched its Agri Digital Platform – “Baroda Kisan” for farmers across the nation. The national Agri Digital Platform – “Baroda Kisan” is a powerful platform to fulfill various needs of farmers.  It is a web-based portal which is easily accessible on mobiles.  The mobile platform uses the existing feature of M Connect Plus mobile application as a landing page. The app runs on an information technology based platform that will fully cater to all the major needs of farmers. These include notification, weather forecast, crop conditions, soil moisture, information on crop worms, market prices, special crop-related consultation, inputs for purchase (e.g. seeds, fertilizers, pesticides), agricultural equipment on rent, consultancy ...

Turned News

Agriculture robots has different tasks to perform which includes image capturing, seeding, water spraying, harvesting, milking and many others to name. The growing demand for food and scarcity of manpower has boosted the agriculture robots market’s growing trend. The increase in precision agriculture and increase in demand for real time analysis which in turn helps in making a better decision and in turn driving the global market for agriculture robots. In fact, global marketing of agricultural robots is experiencing a growth as a result to increased corporate farming and increase in demand for food producing.

Krishii Jagran

Recently, eight women students from Thanthai Hans Roever Agriculture College in Perambalur explored and experimented various issues and developments in organic farming at a 10-day camp organized by Kudumbam, a non-governmental organization founded by G. Nammalvar. The camp was organized as a part of the college’s Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) module in the final year of B.Sc Agriculture course.

Krishii Jagran

In a new move, world’s largest MNC Amazon is planning to transform India’s agriculture and healthcare using cloud computing and frontier technology, which will result in increased crop yield, better utilization of agriculture land, and streamlining trading for farmers, said Amazon official. In healthcare, Amazon Internet Services Pvt. Ltd (AISPL), the domestic subsidiary of the Amazon Group, which resells and markets of AWS Cloud services

Krishi Jagran

The demand for fertilisers in the upcoming Rabi season is likely to increase substantially as improved soil moisture content and greater availability of water in reservoirs may push growers to plant more. The Centre has made provisions for higher stock of all fertilisers that includes urea. According to the presentations made at a meeting on rabi campaign by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday, the estimated requirement of urea in the 2019-20 rabi season will be 17.4 million tonnes (mt), almost 7% more than 16.24 mt consumed in the equivalent period last year.

Business Standard

Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to introduce structural reforms to make agriculture profitable and sustainable. Presenting Rythu Nestham Awards on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the publication of Rythu Nestham and two other journals Pasu Nestam and Prakruti Nestam at a function held in Swarna Bharat Trust, in Hyderabad, he urged the Union Government and various State Governments to accord highest priority to agriculture, education and healthcare sectors.

The New Indian Express

The Punjab administration is bracing up to prevent large scale stubble burning this harvest season which kicks off on October 1. Some 29 lakh hectare is under paddy cultivation this year and would produce 22 million tonnes of straw which has to be dispensed, say agricultural scientists. While a portion of the stubble is buried, the bulk has traditionally been burnt. This is what the administration is trying to prevent so as to curb pollution that affects New Delhi and the national capital region (NCR).

Money Control

Every big tech company wants to solve problems native to India and its underserved communities. Amazon has seen opportunities of transforming agriculture and healthcare using cloud computing and frontier technology. Bringing technology into farming, Carlson thinks, will transform India. After all, 50 percent of the country’s employment comes from agriculture, but its contribution to the gross domestic product is only 17.32 percent. Technology can bring down the gap. Using precision farming and analysing that data is one way. “How do you make sure that the three seasons of crops you have throughout the year are the best in trading, that you get them out to market when they are fresh and ready, (and) how to use IoT, ...

The Times of India

Harvesting season for paddy is a month away and the scare of stubble burning is already weighing heavy on people’s minds. But farmers of many villages have decided to douse this burning problem. Majority of farmers in Rajaona Kalan, Rajaona Khurd, Atiana, Heeran, and some surrounding villages take pride in not burning stubble and saving soil and air from pollution. Farmers said integrating stubble into fields has led to increase in biomass inside it. “Also, the water-holding capacity of the soil increases, which dries up the field early in case of rains and prevents flooding. We spend around Rs 1,200 per acre by blending the stubble into soil and sowing the crop.

The Hans India

Lakhmir Rajput, Additional CEO regarding celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev, has taken cudgels by penning songs and poems in local dialect to spread awareness to check the burning of rice stubble, a common affair that chokes the whole of north during onset of winter, especially the national capital, with heavy smog cover. Also, in Punjab in recent years there has been an explosive upsurge of man-made calamities triggering a drug-infested killer blow to the mental ecology as well as socio-political fabric of this once exemplary state in India. Rajput is deeply rooted in his social conscience – albeit to a varying degree.

The Times of India

It’s an internship with a difference. Several groups of final year students from Goa’s only agriculture institution are now living in villages and using their college education to teach farmers new and advanced methods of agriculture aimed at boosting yield and increasing efficiency, while also gleaning practical wisdom from experienced traditional farmers . The ‘lab to land’ rural stay programme of the Don Bosco College of Agriculture in Sulcorna promises to be a path-breaking initiative in the field of rural agriculture in the state.

The Hans India

Civil Supplies department conducted a review meeting with its different internal departments at Assembly Committee hall here on Sunday. The meeting was attended by Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar, Chairman M Srinivas Reddy and Commissioner Akun Sabharwal. The meeting was held regarding the action plan needed for making enough grains purchase centres available to farmers all over the Telangana State.

Devdiscourse

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday underscored the need to introduce structural reforms to make agriculture profitable and sustainable. After presenting the “Rythu Nestham” awards at a function near here,Naidu urged the central and state governments to accord the highest priority to agriculture, education and healthcare sectors.

Krishi Jagran

n order to speed up payments under the PM Kisan Samaan Nidhi minimum income support scheme that provides an annual payout of Rs 6,000 to farmers in three equal instalments, the government has assigned common services centres (CSCs) to amend differences and update data of farmers registered for the scheme from Monday. The finance ministry had recently asked agriculture ministry to instantly release unpaid instalments by 30th of September, aiming to boost consumption demand in rural markets.

The Times of India

Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has written to chief minister Pramod Sawant urging the government to immediately compensate the farmers whose crops were damaged this season due to the flash floods and heavy rainfall that lashed the state. GCCI director general Ramakant Kamat in the letter said that the paddy crop, which is the mainstay for many Goan farmers, is badly damaged which would cause serious financial losses to growers.

Odisha TV

It seems there is no end to controversies surrounding Odisha government’s (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) KALIA scheme. Now a new report has revealed that more than Rs 50 crore was spent towards advertisements and transportation of farmers to organise conventions for KALIA scheme, even before implementation of the initiative. The development comes close on the heels on the revelation that there were over 3 lakh ineligible beneficiaries who availed assistance under the KALIA scheme.

Siasat Daily

A delegation of Seed World 2019 event on Saturday met the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa here to discuss various issues concerning agriculture. “The 14-member delegation of eminent global and national heads of various institutions discussed on doubling the farmers’ income and the policy push needed for the growth of Agriculture in the state and especially making Karnataka as a global hub of quality seed production,”

Orissa Dairy   Wion News  Money Control

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to introduce structural reforms to make agriculture profitable and sustainable. Presenting Rythu Nestham Awards on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the publication of Rythu Nestham and two other journals Pasu Nestam and Prakruti Nestam at a function held in Swarna Bharat Trust, in Hyderabad today, he urged the Union Government and various State Governments to accord highest priority to agriculture, education and healthcare sectors.

The Indian Express

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh faced opposition from farmers during Kisan Mela at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana recently, when he said that ‘using Happy Seeders for direct wheat sowing leads to increased productivity’, and hence farmers must ‘stop burning paddy stubble’ to clear the fields. The Sunday Express explains if Happy Seeder machines really ‘increase’ wheat productivity. Farmers and experts say that to get a higher yield when wheat is sown with Happy Seeder, the trick lies in following proper technique. Also, in initial years, productivity won’t overwhelmingly increase or decrease.

The Times of India  United News of India

Chief minister Amarinder Singh appealed to the farmers not to resort to paddy stubble burning, as a mark of respect for the historic 550th Prakash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev. The happy seeding machines being distributed by his government would not only help in stubble management, but also ensure increased productivity for the farmers, he added. Captain Amarinder said the burning of paddy stubble was posing a major environmental threat, besides damaging the texture of soil and human health.

The Indian Express

Bank of Baroda on Saturday held the nationwide launch of a mobile application, ‘Baroda Kisan’, in Bardoli, Surat. The app, which would help farmers by providing vital information to help them make the right decisions right from sowing to harvest is the first of its kinds launched by a public sector bank, bank officials said “We have launched Baroda Kisan smart mobile application to cater to various needs of farmers, today nationally,” BoB Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer P S Jayakumar said, adding that they selected Bardoli for the launch because of its historical significance in the Indian freedom struggle, as Vallabhbhai Patel was given the moniker ‘Sardar’ there.

Yahoo News

Farmers from Uttar Pradesh halted their protest at NH-24 on Saturday after the government agreed to five of their demands. The farmers also stated that their delegation was assured by the Agriculture Ministry officials that their remaining demands will be heard by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing media persons on Saturday, President of Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan Puran Singh stated, “Government agreed to five of the fifteen demands. The agitation has not been called off, it is just a temporary arrangement, we will meet PM after 10 days for the remaining demands.”

ANI

A delegation of Seed World 2019 event on Saturday met the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa here to discuss various issues concerning agriculture. “The 14-member delegation of eminent global and national heads of various institutions discussed on doubling the farmers’ income and the policy push needed for the growth of Agriculture in the state and especially making Karnataka as a global hub of quality seed production,”

Udaipur Kiran

Inaugurating the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2019 Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala highlighted the record production achieved for food grains (285 million tonnes) and also complimented state governments for effective implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes

The Indian Express  United News of India

While staying the recovery of fine from farmers guilty of stubble burning, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has entrusted a responsibility upon all the members of Bharatiya Kissan Union to store the stubble by whatever possible means on personal, common lands, forest land and shamlat land, with due permission, instead of attempting to burn it in the coming harvesting season.

The Indian Express

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) Thursday said financial assistance to Punjab under various schemes would cross Rs 11,000 crore in the current fiscal.“Punjab Regional office plans to cross the threshold of Rs 11,000 crore of financial assistance to various stakeholders including the state government in Punjab,” Nabard chief general manager (Punjab region) JPS Bindra said. Bindra said Nabard Punjab office had disbursed funds to the tune of Rs 9,289 crore in 2018-19. Nabard, the apex development financial institution catering to agriculture and rural development, he said had provided assistance of Rs 458.24 crore to the state government under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for creation of critical rural infrastructure facilities.

Daily Excelsior  State Times

While addressing the gathering, Advisor impressed upon the University scientists and scholars to strive hard for excellence in education, research and its outreach programmes. He said that we require “skilled agriculture science graduates and post graduates” who must learn by hands on experiences at the University. Khan said, “We cannot make agriculture a profitable enterprise because more than 95% farmers have less than 1 hectare landholding in J&K, unless we propagate and implement cluster/cooperative farming for enhancing the productivity and economics of farming”.

The Times of India

The study conducted by Sagnik Dey, associate professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi, and coordinator, Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA), classified stubble burning in north Indian states as intense, rampant, limited and large smoldering. Using satellite data, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire count (from a height of 1km) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite fire count (from a height of 375m), the researchers observed a few intense fires in Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Panipat and Sirsa (Haryana).

Business World

The complexities of the food and agriculture sector in India however, are vast, since the agrarian economy straddles a diversity in geography, climate, crops, practices and traditions. In the years ahead, agri-tech startups keen to develop and popularise their business models, will have to address critical issues like small landholdings, longer gestation periods, lower return on investments, the lower affordability of target groups, and the lack of skills and knowledge among farmers.

The Print

The BJP government in Haryana is going all out to woo the farming community ahead of the assembly elections due in a few weeks. The state has enrolled over 80 per cent of farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) within a week of it being launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ranchi. Under PM-KMY, small and marginal farmers are to be handed a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 after they attain the age of 60.

Live Mint

Better monsoon conditions in the second half of the season would ensure higher crop production in the ongoing Kharif season, said Minister of State for Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala, here on Friday. Rupala was speaking on the sidelines of the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign, here on Friday. The production last year was 141.71 million tonnes.

Business Standard

Bills to check spurious seeds and pesticides management are expected to be tabled in the coming session of Parliament, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Parshottam Rupla said at an ASSOCHAM Conference in New Delhi yesterday. He said the government is seriously pursuing these issues in all earnest as in the absence of proper policies and regulations; the country has to face menace of spurious seeds and pesticides.

Turned News

The global market for agricultural biotechnology reached $29.2 billion in 2016. This market should reach $32.1 billion in 2017 and $53.7 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8%. The study scope includes key agricultural biotechnology tools (i.e., next generation DNA sequencing, biochips, RNA interference, synthetic biology tools and genome editing tools); synthetic biology-enabled chemicals and biofuels; biotech seeds; and biologicals.

Krishi Jagran  Money Control  Bloomberg Quint  

India’s crop production in the Kharif season (summer-sown) will be higher than last year’s 141.71 million tonnes on better monsoon rains, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said on Friday. The minister said kharif crops were affected in some states because of floods but it would not have much impact on the overall production.

The Indian Express

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday restrained the governments in Punjab and Haryana from recovering any fine from the farmers accused of stubble burning and ordered registration of public interest litigation (PIL) in the matter. During the resumed hearing of a case filed by Bharti Kissan Union against imposition of fine and registration of FIRs against farmers for stubble burning, a single bench ordered the two state governments to not recover any such penalty till further orders.

The Tribune

To prevent the burning of crop residue in Karnal district, the authorities have issued directions to the owners of combine harvesters to attach straw management system mandatory with the harvester. No machine will be allowed to harvest paddy in the district without a functional straw management system attached to it. If anyone is found violating the directions, the combine harvester will be impounded for the whole season. As per sources in the Agriculture Department, there are more than 400 combine harvesters in the district.

 

The Indian Express

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday restrained the governments in Punjab and Haryana from recovering any fine from the farmers accused of stubble burning and ordered registration of public interest litigation (PIL) in the matter. During the resumed hearing of a case filed by Bharti Kissan Union against imposition of fine and registration of FIRs against farmers for stubble burning, a single bench ordered the two state governments to not recover any such penalty till further orders.

The Tribune

Taking up the smoldering issue of stubble burning, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday stayed the recovery of fine imposed on farmers for violating the ban. Justice Rajiv Narain Raina also issued notice before directing the secretaries of both Punjab and Haryana to discuss the issue with different instrumentalities of the State to come out with a solution.

 

News Conduct

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Money Control

Overall, yield from farming is low in India and the pressure on land is enormous. Additionally, farmers most often get a poor price for their produce, as a result often falling behind in repaying loans. This leads to political demands for farm loan waivers which, when they come, damage the loan repayment culture, borrowers’ credit records and state government finances. The report makes three sets of recommendations: one, how to improve credit reach; two, how to develop a cost effective and inclusive credit system; and three, how to improve credit discipline so you don’t need waivers.

The Asian Age

In a bid to organize the unorganized agricultural sector, by creating a smart technology-enabled process-driven ecosystem for farmers; SmartFarms Agritech Pvt. Ltd recently raised an undisclosed amount from a clutch of angel investors. Leading the investment was Mr Sunkara Subba Rao with Renous Consulting acting as an exclusive advisor during the whole transaction. The company also announced its plans of raising a Series A round funding by the end of this year to fuel their growth and expand vigorously.

The CSR Journal

Agriculture is still the largest source of livelihood among the majority of people in rural India. Thus, if the country has to grow, it is important to uplift the agriculture sector of the country. Acknowledging the need to develop the sector, the government of India had kept agriculture as its core of the Union Budget 2019-20. The Government of India has planned to invest widely in agriculture infrastructure to provide assured income to small and marginal farmers. It has made Niti Aayog a national think tank to establish and conduct programmes and research on technologies of the future namely, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate the economic development of our country. In a research, conducted ...

Newsd

Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said here on Thursday that there is need for rational use of irrigation water and there should be at least 10 per cent reduction in the water consumed by the agriculture sector.

Scientific American

A highway leading from Gurugram—a technology and business hub south of the Indian capital New Delhi—cuts through swaths of empty plots, land that once contained fertile green fields, but which is now mostly barren and dotted with cranes towering over unfinished buildings. A real estate boom fuelled by India’s rapid economic growth in recent years has transformed thousands of hectares of arable land in the region into plots for glass-and-steel high-rises.

The Indian Express

Every farmer group has at least eight members who have pooled in their financial resources to purchase all types of stubble management machines from the government. These groups will supply ‘stubble management machines’ to fellow farmers at “reasonable rents”. Till date, the Punjab government had provided 50,609 stubble management machines, including 28,609 machines in 2018-19 and 22,000 machines in 2019-20 to individual farmers, farmers’ groups and others.

The Financial Express

Structural reforms in agriculture and exports are needed to bring growth rate back to higher levels, Niti Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant said Tuesday. He also said the fundamentals of the economy are intact which will help the government take back the economy to the higher growth trajectory soon despite the global slowdown. Comments come at a time when the economy has slowed to a six-year low of 5 percent in the June quarter and exports began to degrew, amidst the deepening slump even in the low-ticket FMGC sector, leave alone the high-ticket automobiles.

The Financial Express

Thanks to the headway made by the states in digitisation of land records — as many as 16 have reported that 100% of their land records are now digital —, the government has embarked on a plan to provide a unique identity number to each landholding, so that the land titles/ownerships are clear and indisputably defined and the location of each plot is GIS-tagged. The unique identity numbers for landholdings have multiple benefits: Clear titles and the resultant facility to track transactions could spur the urban and rural real estate markets, which have been in the doldrums for quite a while; determination and collection of taxes like stamp duty and registration fees would be easier and ...

The Indian Express

The Narendra Modi government has recently announced its intention of introducing price controls in crop protection chemicals. This comes almost four years after the Agriculture Ministry issued a price control order, giving it powers to fix the maximum retail price (MRP) of cotton seeds and also the trait value payable to the developer/licensor of genetically modified Bt technology. There is talk now of the government even considering bringing all seeds under price control.

Millennium Post

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed her happiness after Bengal got nominated for the Krishi Karman award by the Centre yet again. She also congratulated the government officials who contributed to achieving the significant milestone. Taking to Twitter, Banerjee said: “I am happy to share that West Bengal has been selected once again for Krishi Karman Award by Govt of India for the year 2017-18, primarily for maize production.”

The Financial Express

Many opine ‘Agriculture 4.0’ akin to 4G of telecom. I believe Agriculture 4.0 is “going back to basics, but with technology as its underpinning” to usher in sustainability, in the wake of climate change and degradation of our agricultural ecosystems. We need to re-look at agriculture with the ‘farmer at the centre’, and need to focus on 10 ‘elements of strategy’. These elements also supplement the recommendations of the High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers that is primarily examining agri-market reforms.

The Financial Express

To ensure that millions of small and marginal farmers—India has a total of around 120 million farmers—are not at the mercy of moneylenders, or other expensive sources of finance, the government has, historically, mandated that banks ensure that a certain share of their lending is to these farmers. Currently, 18% of all bank lending has to be mandatorily lent to the agriculture sector. And, to ensure farmers get loans at low rates of interest, the government pays a certain proportion of the interest to banks directly while farmers pay the rest.

The Times of India

As a part of its series of pre-election decisions, the state government has brought all farmers, irrespective of land holding limit, within the ambit of a Rs3,000 crore World Bank-sponsored assistance scheme for the agriculturists, earlier only meant for small and marginal cultivators. The scheme is applicable in farmers’ suicide and drought-affected districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada to only those having land holdings within 5 acres, the criterion for small and marginal farmers.

The Hindu BusinessLine

The Union Commerce Ministry is set to meet members of the dairy consuming-industry to seek their views on whether or not to allow dairy as part of negotiations under Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This is part of the stakeholders’ consultation process on dairy sector.

Agri-News

Sulfur has become an important crop nutrient applied to corn fields. Recent research has shown a benefit from applying sulfur in fields that need organic matter. It’s also of benefit in increased-residue situations where mineralization and release of sulfate sulfur from organic matter are limited.

The New Indian Express

In a bid to empower farmers to effectively deal with pest menace, the Agriculture Department is set to introduce light trap systems in crop fields across the district. The traps are simple electronic devices with rechargeable batteries. The light attracts insects and a funnel-like structure attached on the top traps them. The traps will be placed at the centre of a farm field for three to four hours, usually between 6 pm and 9 pm, as insects are active during this period.

Live Mint

To give relief to the rural economy, the government has exempted agriculture produce marketing committees (APMCs) from the purview of the 2% tax deducted at source (TDS) on payments above ₹1 crore, an anti-abuse provision in the Income Tax Act introduced this year. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet on Monday, “To avoid inconvenience to farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector, agents operating under APMCs have been exempted from 2% TDS on cash payments above ₹1 crore.

The Times of India

Punjab Regional Office, NABARD, Chandigarh launched a campaign against paddy straw burning (crop residue management) in 160 villages of district Fatehgarh Sahib in the district level training meet presided over by deputy commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib Prashant Kumar Goyal. Goyal appreciated the efforts being taken by NABARD to curb stubble burning. He said with the efforts of all relevant departments stubble burning has been reduced remarkably during last year. “It is dire need of the hour to make farmers aware about the ill-effects of stubble burning”, said Goyal.

The Financial Express

The Reserve Bank of India has underlined that farm loan waivers do not address long-term issues and are more of political expediency. Eight out of ten loan waiver announcements since 2014 were made within 90 days of their respective states’ election results, RBI has pointed out. Highlighting the timing of loan waiver announcements during election cycles, RBI said that the nationwide loan waiver programs of 1990 and 2008 were announced by the central government in the run-up to the parliamentary elections of 1991 and 2009, respectively.

The Times of India

For his efforts towards management of paddy/wheat straw to save our environment for the last five years, Dr Harminder Singh Sidhu, a progressive farmer and director of Gadri Baba Dulla Singh Giani Nihal Singh Foundation, village Jalaldiwal near Raikot in district Ludhiana, has been honoured by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and Union Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare during a function organised at NASC Complex, New Delhi.

Observer Research Foundation

Blockchain technology is a secure method for the agricultural community to grow economically through establishing digital identity, ensuring property rights, and enhancing communication of farming practices. It is essential to ensure this industry recruits the next generation to improve productivity and meet the demands of an increasing population. When trying to understand why decisions are made on the individual level of analysis, such as which farmers are more likely to implement blockchain technology, utilising a psychological (behavioural) theory makes greatest sense.

The Print

To rein in double-digit inflation in yellow peas and green gram (moong dal), the government is considering increasing the import of these two varieties of pulses. An inter-ministerial committee that met on 6 September discussed raising the import ceiling on these pulses. “It was decided to open up imports of yellow peas further till sowing period as their prices have shot up,” a senior agriculture ministry official, who did not want to be named, told The Print. “We will shortly send a proposal to the commerce ministry to raise the ceiling of import for pulses from the current 6,50,000 tonnes for the financial year 2020.”

The New Indian Express

For establishing more modern agricultural godowns in mandals across the State for storing agricultural produce, Minister for Agriculture, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy said that State government has asked all the district collectors to identify suitable vacant land for constructing godowns. Also, there is a proposal to set up cold storage facilities in the State. The State has entrusted the task to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to prepare guidelines and submit report for taking further action.

The Times of India

Maize has been one of the preferred green fodders for cattle in the state. But, the residue of pesticides used to protect the maize crop from attack of armyworms is proving fatal for cattle. After several cases of cattle deaths in western Maharashtra, incidents are now being reported from parts of Vidarbha too. As dairy farmers are worried, agriculture universities are coming forward with advisories for them. Dairy farmer Arvind Patil said branded pesticides have specific mention of the residue period and farmers should strictly follow it. “Maize is the best crop used to prepare silage which is a source of quality fodder even during dry spells. If we are using pesticides, we must follow ...

The Times of India

Agriculture department officials said that a few individual farmers in some districts, including Palakkad, Thrissur, Wayanad, apart from Ernakulam practise the Subhash Palekar system of zero budget natural farming (ZBNF). Though the state government had set aside Rs 15 lakh in the budget for ZBNF, it has not been utilized yet. “However, we are supporting organic farming under the central government’s ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ under which around 30,000 farmers cultivate 12,380 acres.

The Indian Express

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) may have received endorsement from the NITI Aayog, the finance minister’s budget speech and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. But that hasn’t stopped the country’s premier academy of agricultural scientists from coming out against an “unproven technology” that, they say, brings no incremental gain to either farmers or consumers. Since the mid-1960s, India’s annual foodgrain output has risen from 80-85 million tonnes (mt) to 280 mt-plus, just as it has from about 20 mt to 176 mt for milk and by similar magnitudes in vegetables, fruits, poultry meat, eggs, sugarcane and cotton.

Deccan Chronicle

Shortage of funds for the Rythu Bandhu scheme means that the scheme fails to achieve its main goal of helping farmers prior to the cultivation of crops. The state government introduced the Rythu Bandhu scheme as an investment subsidy. In Nizamabad district, there are 2.35 lakh farmers identified as eligible for benefits through the Rythu Bandhu scheme.Rs 258 crore is required to cover all the farmers in the district. The Agriculture Department has processed the Rythu Bandhu scheme for 1.34 lakh farmers by disbursing Rs 147 crore so far in a phased manner

The Financial Express

According to the agriculture census 2015-16, out of 12.56 crore small and marginal farmers (based on operational holdings), only 14.36% were female. The share of overall female operational land holders in all segments of farming community increased to 13.8% in 2015-16 from 12.8% in 2010-11. This shows that more and more females are participating in the management and operation of agricultural lands.

Business Standard

In the latest report of its Internal Working Group to review agricultural credit, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says it found that in some states, credit disbursal to the farm sector was higher than their agricultural gross domestic (GDP) product. So, indicating the possibility of diversion of credit for non-agricultural purposes. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Punjab came in this category. small and marginal farmers constituted 86.2 per cent of total operated holdings and have 47.3 per cent share in the operated area, only 40.9 per cent of them were covered by scheduled commercial banks. Out another way, the bulk of loans disbursed by commercial banks, which formed the majority of farm credit, was cornered ...

Ummid

While the Minimum Support Price (MSP) set by the government has failed to benefit a large section of farmers, the crash in food prices as a result of excess supply has added to their woes. Agriculture sector experts maintain that MSP benefits are very limited and hence most farmers are unable to recover their costs, let alone a fair price for their produce. A stagnant farm income poses a huge challenge to the Modi government’s promise of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

The Financial Express

The fertiliser prices, then, will be market-determined, ensuring their efficient usage, and stopping their diversion to non-agri uses as well as to neighbouring countries.

The Times of India  The Week  CNBC TV18

Panchkula deputy commissioner (DC) conducted a meeting with the village heads asking them to avoid stubble burning and instead opt for scientific ways. The agriculture department, for the purpose, will be providing eight types of equipments at 50-80% subsidy. The small-level farmers will be given assistance at the newly established custom hiring centres, where they can buy or rent machinery. The administration will penalize and takes strict action against farmers or anybody found indulging in stubble burning. The National Green Tribunal issued fresh instructions to all DCs of various states keeping in view the last season when Delhi’s was covered in smog.

The Times of India

Chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has asked officials to keep market intelligence mechanism in place for agriculture products and wanted the officials to take immediate steps to keep the prices of vegetables under check. Speaking at a meeting of the agriculture mission on Saturday, Jagan said a new mechanism should be evolved based on inputs from agriculture market committees and a long-term plan should be drafted for price stabilisation. He directed the officials to form a wing with experts for purchase of agriculture produce and marketing. He also fixed the agenda for the next meeting of the agriculture mission where discussion will be on agriculture yield, MSP and situation in the market.

The Indian Express

On the third anniversary of the return of land to Singur farmers, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated her government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare, while the BJP took a dig stating that people neither resumed farming nor got industry. “Today marks the third anniversary of the historic day when our Govt of #Bangla handed over to farmers the parchas (documents) of land forcibly acquired in Singur. We reiterate our commitment to the welfare of farmers, alongside promoting industry. My humble pronam to Maa, Mati, Manush (mother, motherland and people),” Banerjee tweeted on Saturday.

The Times of India

A high-level team from World Bank visited Trichy to assess implementation of the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation Programme funded by the World Bank. The team received feedback from farmers on improvements in quality and crop yield apart from livelihood of the farmers. he World Bank team took feedback from the farmers and stakeholders on how it has improved the quality, productivity and improvement in livelihood of farmers. The team visited a bio-control agent on-farm production unit and vermi-compost unit established by the Mugavanoor integrated pest management group aided under the project at Vaiyampatti block near Manapparai.

The New Indian Express

With only a few days left for the online registration under Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) to end, farmers in Ganjam district have demanded a further extension of the deadline. While the deadline is September 15, a total of 1,13,100 farmers in the district have registered under P-PAS for purchase of surplus paddy during 2019-20 Kharif marketing season till 10th this month. A lot of farmers are yet to register their names and hence, the deadline should be extended, said farmers.

The Indian Express

The Reserve Bank of India’s Internal Working Group (IWG) to review agricultural credit — headed by Deputy Governor MK Jain — has raised several concerns on the farm front as lakhs of small and marginal farmers (SMF) are yet to be covered by the banking system. Despite so many initiatives and schemes aimed at financial inclusion, only 40.90 per cent of SMF could be covered by the scheduled commercial banks (SCBs), the report submitted by the RBI panel has said.

The Week

A multi-facility agricultural mall will be constructed in Jammu at Bishnah at a cost of Rs 70 crore to provide various facilities to farmers under one roof, officials said on Sunday. The proposed mall is a part of infrastructure development project and a similar project has also been sanctioned for Kashmir division, the officials said. They said the agri-mall is visualised to provide facilities like controlled atmosphere or cold storage, tractors, tillers, spray equipments, fertilizers, pesticides, and organic fertilizers or manure.

United News of India

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said that there should be an effective mechanism on market intelligence for agriculture products and asked the officials to take immediate steps to keep the prices of vegetables under check. Speaking at a review meeting on Agriculture Mission here today, he said that a new mechanism should be evolved based on the inputs from Agriculture Committees and a long-term plan should be drafted for stabilising the prices. A Cell should be formed with experts for purchase agriculture produce and marketing and in the next meeting of the Mission the discussion will be on the agriculture yield, Minimun Support Price (MSP) and the situation in ...

The Sentinel

In the 60’s Barak Valley, then undivided Cachar, particularly its Sonai region, was known for rich agricultural products. In fact, this southern zone of Assam also attained the distinction of being a granary as people depended entirely on locally produced rice due to bumper harvest of paddy. It could be possible because of the visionary agriculture minister of the time Moinul Haque Choudhuy who introduced a multiple package programme to help the farmers in all possible way. Agriculturists were immensely benefitted by the package.

The Times of India

The state cabinet on Friday cleared the government’s proposal to pay Rs 3,000 immediate assistance to every family in 896 panchayats in 18 districts hit by drought-like conditions, cabinet secretariat department principal secretary Sanjay Kumar said. Like last year, a survey has begun to identify farmers who are eligible for the agriculture input subsidy (AIS) to be given on October 15, due to the failure of Kharif crop on account of rainfall deficit, he added.

The Times of India

Terming climate changes a major cause for concern for the agriculture and horticulture, scientists insisted on creating climate resilient crop varieties and technologies to maintain the agriculture production steady keeping pace with the population growth. On the necessity for mechanisation, Kumar reiterated that the mechanisation was the only option to tackle the labour shortage. “We are shortly going to send a team of scientists and technical staffers from agriculture engineering to Japan and Korea to pick up some small equipment which can be directly tested and put into use,” he said.

The Times of India

Damage of crops owing to pests and erratic weather can be thwarted in Bengal with the help of agriculture technology solutions that are being adopted by other states, according to Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO at CropIn Technology, an India-based global enterprise. The global enterprise has already been working in tandem with various seed and tea companies in Assam and other parts of North Bengal. Currently, they are assisting 2.1 million farmers growing 365 different crops across the globe. “Depending on our data collected world over, we are ready to share our agricultural expertise with Bengal,” added Kumar.

Business Standard  The Indian Express

An internal working group of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to review agricultural credit has said loan waivers should be avoided and the focus should instead be on improving the viability and sustainability of agriculture. There should also be a formal institution set up by the government, on the lines of the goods and services tax (GST) tribunal, which can suggest ways to improve credit to the agriculture sector, the group’s report said.

 

Telangana Today

With good planning, farsighted policies, timely implementation and proper utilisation of resources come rewards. For Telangana, 2019 may well spell a turning point in the field of agriculture with the State poised to take a quantum leap in farm produce, particularly paddy and cotton. And this is not just for the ongoing kharif season. The trend is expected to extend to the next Yasangi season too. Paddy production is expected to smash through all previous records, with cultivation of paddy going up by 5 lakh acre from the normal area of 23.83 lakh acre, registering an increase of about 21 per cent in sowing.

Krishi Jagran

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) together with the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India had organized national conference of farmers on Promoting In-situ residue management at scale for clean & green environment at New Delhi. Around 1500 farmers from UP, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi participated in the conference. For management of paddy crop residues, machinery like Happy Seeder, Zero Till Drill, Cutter cum Spreader, Chopper, MB plough were provided free of cost in these villages. Both the progressive farmers had sown their wheat crop with Happy Seeder without burning any residue on their field. Besides, they had sown land of other farmers of neighboring villages & organized a campaign against paddy straw burning ...

Millennium Post

Sriram Rajagopalan & Mathangi Sriram discuss how the use of information and communication technology can boost sustainable farming in India. Agriculture has been recognised as the core of the Union budget for the year 2019-20. The government of India has planned to invest widely in agriculture infrastructure to provide assured income to small and marginal farmers. To this effect, it has established NITI Aayog, a national think tank to establish and conduct programmes and research on technologies of the future – namely, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) – to facilitate the economic development of our country.

Live Mint

A panel set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suggested that the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) introduce a web portal on the lines of PSB Loans in 59 Minutes to allow quicker credit access for the agriculture sector. The Centre launched the portal in November 2018 to provide loans of up to ₹1 crore to MSMEs in less than an hour. According to latest figures, more than 50,706 proposals had received in-principle approvals and 27,893 proposals been sanctioned as of 31 March, 2019.

Zee Business

“Doubling farmers income in real terms is a difficult task but we may achieve it in nominal terms”, says Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL). Agricultural surplus will turn up to be a reality and certain reasons like ongoing improvement in the package of practices, farmers, adoption of new technologies and irrigation practices, which is much better then what it used to be 10years ago may lead to this situation. Other reasons that will add on to the problem include the work on micro-irrigation, the launch of several irrigation projects in last 5years and a part of MNREGA budget, 38%, is spent on improving the irrigation infrastructure of the country.

The Wire   The Times of India  CNBC TV18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan pension scheme for small and marginal farmers (whose land holding is upto two hectares) while speaking in Ranchi in poll-bound Jharkhand. Farmers who are currently between the ages of 18 and 40 can enrol in the scheme and are required to make monthly contributions varying from Rs 55 to Rs 200. The government estimates that 5 crore farmers will be eligible to benefit from the scheme. The Centre will make a contribution to the fund of the same amount as the farmer.

The Times of India

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday warned the farmers of the grim scenario unfolding due to global climate change and suggested them to go for change in the present cropping pattern. “Farmers should adopt cropping pattern keeping in mind climate change for increased yield and profits,” the CM said at a meeting to review the current state of the state’s agriculture economy. Noting that the agriculture economy and profitability of farmers depend on the increased production of various crops, the CM also said that the state has been beset with the problem of low rainfall, which had adversely affected agricultural production, both of cereal and cash crops.

The Hans India

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said on Thursday the officials would distribute 5,200 metric tonnes of urea to the farmers from Friday. The Minister along with State Agriculture Secretary C Parthasarathi and other officials visited Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday to review the operations to speed up transportation of urea to the State.

Nagaland Post   Northeast Now

Nagaland agriculture minister G Kaito Aye launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojna (PM-KMY) — pension scheme for farmers — in the conference hall of the directorate of agriculture here Thursday. The scheme which was launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday at Ranchi, the Capital of Jharkhand would secure the lives of 5 crore small and marginal farmers by providing a minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month, to those who attain 60 years of age.

The Week

CropLife India, an association of 18 R&D driven crop science companies, today, organized an awareness program for Crop protection products Dealers and students of Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) course throughout the State of West Bengal. The awareness program was organized jointly with Agriculture Department and State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) Government of West Bengal across 20 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Agriculture Training Centres (ATC), SCTC and University in the mid- Kharif season, when agri-input dealers and farmers are maximally associated with different agro-chemicals.

Krishi Jagran

Now farmers will get affordable access to advanced technology at their doorsteps. During a National Conference on Crop Residue Management in New Delhi on Monday (9th September 2019), the Minister of State for Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala launched a multilingual Mobile Application called “CHC Farm Machinery”.

Krishi Jagran

In a shocking note, the Natural Academy of Agricultural Sciences, country’s top body of farm scientists, has criticized and dismissed  the idea of ‘zero-budget natural farming’, considering it an “unproven” technology, which claims to be the biggest announcement by the BJP government towards the agriculture sector in the recent Union Budget. Panjab Singh, president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) said in front of media, “The government should not needlessly invest capital and human resources towards promoting ZBNF (Zero Budget Natural Farming). We have given our recommendations in writing to the Prime Minister and it reflects the view held by the scientific community”.

Down To Earth

Agriculture has been recognised as the core of the Union budget for the year 2019-20. The Government of India has planned to invest widely in agriculture infrastructure to provide assured income to small and marginal farmers. It has made Niti Aayog a national think tank to establish and conduct programmes and research on technologies of the future namely, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate the economic development of our country.

The Times of India

Agriculture and farmers welfare department has approved 960 applications of farmers from Ludhiana district for farm machinery subsidy for paddy straw management. This subsidy is to be provided to the farmers under in-situ Management of Crop Residue Scheme 2019. Baldev Singh, chief agriculture officer, (CAO) Ludhiana, said, “The farmers would be provided subsidy for purchase of happy seeder, reversible hydraulic MB plough, chopper, zero till drill. 50 percent subsidy will be provided for fitting machinery on combines, and 80 percent subsidy is to be provided to 210 farmer groups.

The Times of India

A centre of excellence for flowers and vegetables will be set up in Wayanad with the technical support of the Netherlands to demonstrate to the farmers on technology-aided farming practices. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, agriculture minister V S Sunilkumar said soft launch of the centre will be held on October 14 during the visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands . The minister said Rs 13 crore has been earmarked for the proposed centre of excellence. The Centre has agreed to sanction Rs 6 crore as grant for the project.

ANI

Uttar Pradesh government has set a target to double agricultural exports by 2024. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting, presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday which approved 11 proposals. The government has set a target to purchase 50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy under the Paddy Purchase Policy. The procurement will start in some districts from October 1, which will run till January 31, 2020. While in some districts the procurement process will start from 1 November, which will run till February 29, 2020, Spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said.

The Financial Express

Land, water and agriculture are all State subjects; forest is a Concurrent subject. However, land degradation assumes national importance because of its overwhelming impact on the economy and the well-being of all the citizens. The governance architecture for addressing land degradation needs to follow a ‘cooperative federalism’ principle—that enables state governments to access technology and R&D benefits developed through central investments, jointly generate and use data and information, share best practices in policy as well as at the ground level, and enables the states in need to build capacity (financial, technical as well as management) with central assistance.

The New Indian Express

Odisha government on Tuesday extended the deadline for online registration of farmers till September 17 for procurement of paddy during the 2019-20 Kharif season. The last date for the registration was earlier fixed on September 10, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister RP Swain said.

Krishi Jagran

Shri Harkesh Kumar Mittal, Adviser, Member Secretary, National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board & Former Secretary, Technology Development Board, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India stressed upon taking the timely action on the knowledge for the good entrepreneurs.

The Indian Express

Addressing the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned that India was “focusing on Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)”. In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had spoken of the need to “go back to basics”, and to “replicate this innovative model (that) can help in doubling our farmers’ income”.

Down to Earth

Maize crops are falling prey to the deadly Fall Armyworm (FAW) in Bihar, India’s third-largest corn producer. There are officials reports of FAW attacks on maize crops from the districts of Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Saran and Sheohar, an official of the state agriculture department said. “But unconfirmed reports also suggest presence of FAW in other maize-growing districts of north Bihar,” he added. FAW was first detected by entomologists C M Kalleshwara Swamy and Sharanabasappa in maize fields at the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, in Karnataka last year. It is an invasive and polyphagous (feeding on many foods) pest. It can attack cereals and forage grasses.

India Today

The central and state governments have woken up to the farm crisis and are aggressively pursuing policies to better the lot of the farmer. The Modi Government has targeted to double the average farmer’s income by 2022. This is possible only when Agri-startups fill the gap. The Indian agri-startups have seen a massive surge since 2014. The Inc42 Datalabs has recorded an approximate growth of nearly 100% in agriculture and allied activities in 2014-2015. The agri-exports saw a jump of CAGR 6.75% to $32.08 billion in 2015-2016. Agri-tech companies have been instrumental in jump-starting the organized growth in this sector.

Financial Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a massive nationwide campaign for eradication of foot and mouth disease affecting farm animals. He will launch several other farmer welfare measures from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) is fully funded by the Union government with an outlay of Rs 12,652 crore for the next five years. This programme is crucial for the success of Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious target of doubling the farmer’s income by 2022.

Down To Earth

The total area under grasslands reduced to 12.3 mha from 18 mha between 2005 and 2015. Grasslands in the Aravalli range in Rajasthan underwent severe degradation, read the report. Other states where land has been severely destroyed include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, it added. Loss of grazing land can be attributed to two kinds of drivers — direct and indirect. Overgrazing, poor management and deforestation are the direct drivers and conversion of pastures into croplands through encroachment, diversion and allotment driven by increasing population pressure are the indirect drivers.

KNN India

The economic slowdown in the country reflects its impact on the Telangana Budget outlay for the financial year 2019-20. The proposed expenditure for 2019-20 in the budget session of Telangana Legislative Assembly and Council declined to Rs 1,46,492.30 crore from Rs 1,82,017 crore, almost slashed by 20%, shown in the Vote On Account Budget presented before the Lok Sabha election this year

The Indian Express

India’s premier academic body of agricultural scientists has hit out at Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), terming it as an “unproven” technology bringing no incremental value gain to either farmers or consumers. “The government should not needlessly invest capital and human resources towards promoting ZBNF. We have given our recommendations in writing to the Prime Minister and it reflects the view held by the scientific community,” said Panjab Singh, president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS).

 

The Statesman

Haryana Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Kumar Bedi on Monday announced that scheduled castes (SC) and other backward classes (OBC) people can apply for loans for self-employment from various corporations, along with other welfare schemes being run by the department, to make their family prosperous.

The Print

Air pollution in Delhi is expected to be less severe this winter with the Modi government claiming a drastic reduction in stubble burning cases. According to data presented by the Ministry of Agriculture at the conference on Crop Residue Management Monday, the number of stubble burning incidents had reduced by 41 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab in 2018 as compared to 2016.

The Times Of India

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala on Monday said incidents of crop residue burning have come down and urged farmers to completely stop this practice. Inaugurating the National Conference on Crop Residue Management for the farmers from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, he complemented farmers for bringing down the stubble burning incidents.

UNI

In order to eliminate stubble burning completely from the district by sensitizing the peasantry on crop residue management, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department is set to start a mass awareness campaign in the villages of the district to ensure clean, green and pollution-free environment, for next two months.

The Economic Times

As many as 400 innovative and progressive farmers from Punjab will participate in National Conference of Farmers on Crop residue Management to be held in New Delhi. Punjab agriculture department spokesperson said that nearly 1000 farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would be part of this conference and also share their innovative ideas adopted for in-situ crop residue management.

The Hitavada

NITIN Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport Highways, shipping and MSME announced the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between innovative dairy technology company MoooFarm, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Government of Maharashtra in Nagpur on Saturday at a function held at Vanamati Hall. The collaboration announced is for Government’s ongoing Vidarbha Marathwada Dairy Development Project (VMDDP) aimed to boost NDDB’s ‘Ration Balancing Programme through MoooFram’s ‘White Tech Revolution’.

The Times Of India

“The state government has introduced a new scheme to provide 80% subsidy to farmers for drip irrigation,” said agriculture ministerDr Anil Bonde on Saturday. “The government is keen to ensure irrigation facilities to the rain fed regions of Vidarbha and Marathawada. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis introduced various schemes such as ‘Sheththal yojana’ and ‘Jalyukta Shivar yojana’ which were implemented successfully in the region,” said Bonde.

Financial Express

While the ongoing slowdown has already taken a toll on vehicle sales of major car manufacturers, tractor makers may also find themselves a victim of the same as they are headed for a single-digit slip in sales in the current financial year. “Weak growth in rural income, moderation in rural infrastructure spending, higher channel inventory, and the effect of a high base will lead to de-growth in tractor sales volume,” CRISIL said in a report released this week. Tractor industry is cyclical and extremely dependent on rural incomes and monsoon, CRISIL added, and these factors were impacted in the second half of the last fiscal because of flat crop production, declining farm profitability which resulted in lower ...

Business Standard

With imprints of technology increasing in agriculture sector, Odisha government is set to adopt new ways to increase the quality of farming and farming products. In the draft Agricultural Policy of Odisha 2019, the state government aims to promote the use of IoT (internet of things) sensors to keep the real-time check on the supply and consumption of inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides etc. Similarly, it will initiate measures for setting up technology system for automated grading and sorting of crops using robotics and machine vision. It will reduce efforts and wastage in the supply chain.

New Indian Express

Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy on Thursday said the death of a farmer in a queue in Dubbak, where he was waiting for urea, had nothing to do with the shortage of the substance. “The distribution of urea was going on in urea. Simultaneously, a truck was unloading additional bags. There is no shortage of urea in Dubbak; in fact, there is no shortage anywhere else in the State,” he said.

The Times Of India

The agriculture department has invited online applications from the state’s farmers from 25 selected villages in 13 shortlisted districts for availing the subsidy on the farm implements that they would purchase under the sub-mission on agriculture mechanization (SMAM) scheme of the Centre or from the state governments own scheme in this regard.

CNBC TV 18

Senior US and Chinese officials have pledged to meet in October to settle their ongoing trade war but a lasting peace seems more elusive than ever.

Since trade negotiations between the world’s largest economies broke down in May, both countries have added tariffs on billions of dollars of the others’ goods, broken good faith promises and traded public insults.

Business World

On August 28, the PMO asked Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to be with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the first half of day. He was asked to make himself available during the evening as well. Later in the day, at a Press briefing, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced the much-awaited easing of sourcing norms for single-brand retailers. Also, 100 per cent FDI was allowed in coal mining and contract manufacturing. The Niti Aayog has long been a votary of FDI-led growth.

Business Today

One of the big challenges in Agtech (agriculture technology) adoption is cost, and we are developing techniques to make it more affordable. We are doing a few trials in India, and our research is focused on bringing down the cost of Agtech solutions to make them relevant in places like India. Mahindra & Mahindra, the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volumes, is working on digital and data driven technology to back productivity, crop-care and yield in a more definitive way.

The Indian Express

According to the National Statistical Office’s GDP estimates for April-June 2019 released on Friday, India’s agriculture sector — which includes forestry and fishing — grew 2.04% year-on-year during the quarter. But what is significant isn’t the “real” growth (i.e. at constant prices) in gross value added or GVA. More relevant is GVA – the value of output of a good, less the cost of all inputs and raw material used in its production — rising by 7.90% in “nominal” terms or at current prices. It means farm prices going up by 5.74% in April-June 2019 over April-June 2018.

Business Standard

The woes of the agriculture sector have been an ongoing one. The genesis of this can be traced to the muddled and short-sighted vision of our policy makers and their political masters. Water is the lubrication that keeps the agriculture clock ticking. We have about four months of monsoon rains which we need to utilise judiciously. A steady supply of electricity is also said to be a problem hindering irrigation. Solar power usage has been making steady inroads into the hinterland. Instead of depending on the state to provide uninterrupted electricity, if solar power can be generated at the village or taluka level, it could be utilized at the villages.

Business Today

It found that the definition of “agricultural extension” was outdated – it was “too production-centric”, prepared during the days India was struggling for self-sufficiency in foodgrains, particularly cereals. It decided to redefine “agricultural extension” as “an empowering system of sharing information, knowledge, technology, skills, risk and farm management practices, across agricultural subsectors and along all aspects of the agricultural supply chain, so as to enable the farmers to realise higher net income from their enterprise on a sustainable basis”

The Hans India

Minister for Education G Jagadish Reddy on Tuesday described Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao as visionary. The Chief Minister’s schemes like Haritha Haram were being copied by other States. As part of Haritha programme, thousands of plants were planted on Hyderabad- Vijayawada national highway in Nalgonda and Suryapet district. The programme was launching by the Chief Minister at Gundrampally village of Chityal mandal in Nalgonda district

Krishi Jagran The Economic Times

Mahindra Summit Agriscience Ltd, a joint venture between Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd. (MASL) and Sumitomo Corporation Group, Japan, launched a new product range for sustainable & organic agriculture under the “PRAKRTI by Mahindra” brand name. Speaking about the new product range, Ashok Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Agri Solutions Limited said, “We are delighted to launch Prakrti by Mahindra, our new range of sustainable agriculture products. These products will be highly effective in improving the depleting health of our soil and enhancing yield, thereby meeting the increasing demands of a growing population in our country.

Turned News

According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Agricultural Haying & Forage Machinery Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.27% during the forecast period. Factors such as rising demand for livestock population and increase in the concern of animal feed, growing demand for automation industry for the agricultural machinery equipment are expected to propel the market growth. Haying and forage machinery is utilized in order to cater to the rising demand for plant-based feed for animals. Growing demand for automation in farming sector across the globe is likely to boost the haying and forage machinery market during forecast period. Some of the key players in Agricultural Haying & Forage Machinery market include CNH Industrial, Mahindra Tractor, Kuhn ...

Rural Marketing

India’s largest private weather monitoring and agri-risk solutions company has released the second volume of the ‘Kharif Report’ for the year 2019 .The report talks about the year’s Monsoon spread and its impact on the production of Kharif crops. It has also done an analysis of impact of actual rainfall recorded between June 1 to August 14 and the forecast for the critical period of the crops (that is, August and September), anticipating the changes that could possibly occur on the productivity and production side.

Amarketing Analytics

The report offers a detailed overview of the “Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture Market 2019 ” covering key factors like drivers and restraints impacting the growth. The global market is segmented on the basis of manufacturers, product type, applications, and regions. In addition to this, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Agriculture report also demand to be highest from Technology and Media Industry 2019 to 2025. It forecasts market-based on dominating market trends, current market conditions, and growth aspects.

Global News Clip

Smart agriculture is nothing but sustainable agriculture which makes use of innovative technologies such as cloud-based services, Big Data, IoT, GPS, and many others. Technologies such as agricultural robots, Machine-to-Machine, livestock biometrics, and infrastructural health sensors are growing being adopted by the agriculture sector to improve productivity, quality, profitability, and sustainability, and to reduce labor costs. In addition, smart agriculture may involve high-precision crop control, automation of farming techniques, as well as data analysis and collection. On the other hand, smart agriculture uses connectivity modules, actuators, sensors, micro-controllers, and camera to enable farmers to regulate and control the farming processes with the help of smart devices remotely.

Telangana Today

Agricultural Minister S Niranjan Reddy suggested the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) administration to plan for more undergraduate and post-graduate colleges, agriculture polytechnics besides agricultural research stations to provide quality education in the State. Reddy who lauded the varsity for achieving sixth rank at all India level urged the administration to work for gaining international recognition in agricultural education and research.

The Hindu Business Line

The agriculture sector will be at the centre-stage of innovation and will lead India towards overall social and economic transformation by 2020, R Chandra Babu, Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University, has said. Agri-tech start-ups are the true Make in India for the world, with more than 25 Indian agri-tech start-ups having a global presence. More than half of the estimated 450 agri-tech start-ups work to provide better access to inputs to farmers and facilitate water supply solutions. The agri-tech system in the country is maturing as an emerging business opportunity in market linkage, digitalisation of agriculture, better access to inputs, farm services and finance, he said.

The New Indian Express

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday assured additional assistance for cyclone Fani affected coconut farmers of the State apart from the support of Rs 29.65 crore given by the Coconut Development Board (CDB).“We are pretty much aware of the plight of coconut farmers in the State. The Centre is eager to extend more help to them. The State Government should follow the due process so that we can grant more funds from CDB and the Agriculture Ministry,” Tomar said.

The Economic Times

The government is planning to wield complete control over fixing prices of pesticides to ensure farm chemicals remain affordable and are easily available to farmers. For this, it is likely to introduce the long-pending Pesticide Management Bill in Parliament, replacing the Insecticides Act, 1968, whose rules have become obsolete and lack deterrence against violations of law.

Krishi Jagran The Indian Express

Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Chief Minister today announced a package worth Rs. 4,750 crores for the farmers. The minister waived off penalty as well as interest on crop loans in 3 schemes giving relief to farmers. He said, “In total, we have announced a package of around Rs. 5,000 crore for the farmers. It will be a big relief to them. 10 lakh farmers will get its benefits”. Khattar also waived fine or penalty on loans taken from the Primary Cooperative Agriculture Societies or PACS saying that around 8.25 lakh cultivators have defaulted in reimbursement of loans.

The Financial Express

Agriculture sector, that puts food on the table of almost 60 per cent Indians, has been losing its share in the country’s economic growth. The sector grew just 2 per cent in Q1 FY20, slowing from 5.1 per cent growth in the same quarter previous year. However, the tailspin in agriculture is not new. The latest RBI annual report shows that the contribution of agriculture in the last five years has halved, compared to the preceding five years. The sector’s contribution to the economic growth during 2011-14 was 14.6 per cent, whereas it fell to a mere 6.1 per cent during 2014-19.

The Indian Express

The Pune International Centre (PIC) recently released a policy paper on “Institutional and Policy Reforms to Accelerate Agriculture Growth in Maharashtra”. Speaking at the launch, Pratap Pawar, chairman, PIC at MCCIA, said, “Many institutions are working hard to reform agricultural policies in India. It is very crucial to receive and impart knowledge through such policies and it should be imparted to farmers as well.”

The New Indian Express

In a bid to assist farming communities in proper management of water resources and selection of crops basing on availability of water, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare department has asked all Collectors to form district-level committees for implementation of crop water budgeting (CWB). The benefits of adopting CWB include increase in awareness level among farmers on water resources and water saving devices for improved irrigation system.

The Economic Times

farMart started with an Uber-like model for tractors, but is now providing credit loan to underserved farmers and addressing some basic farming woes. “Smallholder farmers are unable to acquire loans from banks and NFBCs as the financial institutions have no mechanism to assess their creditworthiness, track utilization and collect small ticket size payments from farmers. Agriculture is a seasonal activity and informal lenders tend to exploit farmers as capital is scarce during particular periods in cropping cycles,”

News Gram

The increasing frequency of pest attacks on the state’s farmlands forced the state government to deliberate over the issue. Experts and agricultural scientists have now brought the focus on beneficial insects, whose population has substantially eroded over the past years owing to indiscriminate use of pesticides and chemicals by farmers in the state. State Agriculture Department Joint Director Dr Sukhdev Singh said excessive use of chemicals on farmlands was also killing agriculture-friendly insects useful in controlling the population of pests.

DNA India

The Gujarat government on Sunday announced that it will give a second agriculture power connection to farmers from the tribal belt with a survey number land of four-acre or more. The state in a release said that the decision was taken to benefit small farmers, particularly in tribal areas of the state where landholdings are not big enough to get a second power connection for agriculture.

The Hans India

Heavy rains lashed several mandals in the district on Sunday. After long duration of dry spell, heavy downpour gave a major relief to farmers to practice cultivation works. Heavy rainfall recorded in Srikakulam City and Rural, Narasannapeta, Kotabommali, Tekkali, Nandigama, Palasa, Mandasa, Meliaputti, Sompeta, Etcherla, Amudalavalasa and other mandals.

Deccan Chronicle

Agri input stocks have trended lower in the last three months of erratic monsoon rains which picked up pace after a delayed start and still remains deficient in some parts of the country. The stock price has trended lower almost in a secular manner for fertiliser, agro chemicals and seed companies, analysis of data by Financial Chronicle showed with some big names like UPL, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers, GNFC, GSFC, Bayer Cropscience and Deepak Fertilisers down between 30 to 50 per cent over the last three month period.

Telangana Today

At a time when the national growth rate of the agricultural sector is showing signs of a downtrend, Telangana surpassed area under cultivation during the last kharif season in terms of crucial crops such as paddy and cotton. As against 9.05 lakh hectare cultivated last year as on date, paddy is being cultivated in about 9.28 lakh hectare in the State currently. The total area sown crossed the 90 per cent-mark this week with about 38.79 lakh hectare under cultivation against the normal area of 43.34 lakh hectare during the current kharif.

Live Mint

The late revival in monsoon rains has brought a much-required reprieve for agricultural input providers. The delay in the onset of the monsoon has impacted sales, making the June quarter one of the weakest for most farm input providers. But the scenario has now changed. “Amid the pickup in monsoon and contraction in sowing deficit, we expect performance to stabilize in Q2FY20,” said analysts at Edelweiss Securities Ltd. It said Q1 was one of the weakest ones for the sector.

The Hans India

The current lag in area sown to kharif crops especially rice and pulses is not a major cause for concern as sowing is still underway in eastern states and many flood-hit areas,according to a senior agriculture ministry official. The area sown to most kharif crops will be recovered as sowing window is till September 15 and the total kharif output will be as per the target, the official added.Sowing of kharif (summer) crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June and harvesting starts from October onwards. The agriculture ministry has set the production target for food grains at a record 291.1 million tonnes for 2019-20 crop year (July-June), comprising 147.9 million tonnes in kharif ...

The Hans India

Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu advocated for massive plantation drive with due priority to rural sector and to make AP a green hub. Addressing a meeting organised at Government ITI, here on Saturday in connection with 70th Vanamahotsav, the minister said that urbanisation and population growth has had its impact on forests and greenery which turned out as constant threat to human survival in future.The minister suggested that agriculture, horticulture and forest departments to work in coordination for promotion of fruit bearing trees on bunds of agriculture lands by the farmers.

The New Indian Express

The State government is going to overhaul the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board to ensure pollution-free industrialisation and initiate measures to improve green cover. Speaking at the 70th ‘Vana Mahotsavam’ organised at Dokkiparu village in Medikonduru mandal of Guntur district on Saturday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the State government would take up the responsibility of making the State pollution-free. Expressing concern over industrial pollution, the Chief Minister said “industries are welcome, not pollution”.

The New Indian Express

The State Government on Saturday extended the deadline for online registration of farmers under Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) for purchase of surplus paddy during the 2019-20 kharif marketing season. Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), which have been functioning as ‘One Stop Shop’ to meet the requirements of farmers and procuring paddy on behalf of Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation under decentralised paddy procurement, has registered 6,18,480 lakh farmers under P-PAS as on August 31.

North East Now

Mizoram agriculture minister C Lalrinsanga on Saturday said that Northeast is ideal for India’s organic farming mission. He was speaking at the ‘Organic Food India Conclave-2019’ in Mumbai as the chief guest. “Prime Minister is committed to developing Northeast as an organic hub,” Lalrinsanga informed. “And in pursuit of this commitment, the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for Northeast East Region (MOVCD-NER) is implemented in the region,” he further added.

The Hans India

Earlier a farmer depositing his commodity in central or state warehouses was required to again transport the same commodity to the market yard for selling his commodity. This led to double transportation cost. That was no longer needed now. In these 22 warehouses, the farmers can directly sell his commodity through eNAM, he explained. National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing eNAM under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.